A search for pairs of light neutral pseudoscalar bosons (A) resulting from the decay of a Higgs boson is performed. The search is conducted using LHC proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, collected with the CMS detector in 2016$-$2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The A boson decays into a highly collimated electron-positron pair. A novel multivariate algorithm using tracks and calorimeter information is developed to identify these distinctive signatures, and events are selected with two such merged electron-positron pairs. No significant excess above the standard model background predictions is observed. Upper limits on the branching fraction for H $\to$ AA $\to$ 4e are set at 95% confidence level, for masses between 10 and 100 MeV and proper decay lengths below 100 $μ$m, reaching branching fraction sensitivities as low as 10$^{-5}$. This is the first search for Higgs boson decays to four electrons via light pseudoscalars at the LHC. It significantly improves the experimental sensitivity to axion-like particles with masses below 100 MeV.
Invariant mass distribution of the four-electron system ($m_{4 e}$) for selected events (points), compared to the background-only fit (red) with its $68\%$ and $95\%$~CL uncertainty bands (green and yellow). A non-stacked benchmark signal (blue) for a Higgs boson decaying to a pair of ALPs with $m_a=20MeV$ and $c \tau = 10\,\mu\mathrm{m}$ is overlaid and normalized to a branching ratio of $4.6 \times 10^{-5}$, which corresponds to the $95\%$~CL upper limit value set by this analysis. The lower panel shows the same data after subtracting the background fit.
Observed (solid points) and expected (dashed lines) $95\%$ CL upper limits on the Higgs boson branching fraction to a pair of ALPs decaying into electron-positron pairs ($ H \to A A \to e e$), shown as a function of the ALP mass for benchmark proper decay lengths of 1 $\,\mu\mathrm{m}$ (upper left), 10 $\,\mu\mathrm{m}$ (upper right), and 100 $\,\mu\mathrm{m}$ (lower left). The green and yellow bands represent the one and two standard deviation confidence intervals around the expected limits. The lower right panel shows a map of the observed $95\%$ CL upper limit, shown as a color scale, as a function of the ALP mass $m_ A$ and proper decay length $c \tau$.
A map of the observed $95\%$ CL upper limit on the Higgs boson branching fraction for $ H \to A A \to4 e$, as a function of the ALP mass and the ratio of the ALP coupling to electrons to the energy scale of the ALP effective interaction.
We present the results of a search for the charged-lepton-flavor violating decays $B^0 \rightarrow K^{*0}\tau^\pm \ell^{\mp}$, where $\ell^{\mp}$ is either an electron or a muon. The results are based on 365 fb$^{-1}$ and 711 fb$^{-1}$ datasets collected with the Belle II and Belle detectors, respectively. We use an exclusive hadronic $B$-tagging technique, and search for a signal decay in the system recoiling against a fully reconstructed $B$ meson. We find no evidence for $B^0 \rightarrow K^{*0}\tau^\pm \ell^{\mp}$ decays and set upper limits on the branching fractions in the range of $(2.9-6.4)\times10^{-5}$ at 90% confidence level.
$M_{\tau}$ distribution in signal region, (OS$e$, Belle)
$M_{\tau}$ distribution in signal region, (OS$e$, Belle II)
$M_{\tau}$ distribution in signal region, (OS$\mu$, Belle)
A first search is presented for vector-like leptons (VLLs) decaying into a light long-lived pseudoscalar boson and a standard model $τ$ lepton. The pseudoscalar boson is assumed to have a mass below the $τ^+τ^-$ threshold, so that it decays exclusively into two photons. It is identified using the CMS muon system. The analysis is carried out using a data set of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment in 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Selected events contain at least one pseudoscalar boson decaying electromagnetically in the muon system and at least one hadronically decaying $τ$ lepton. No significant excess of data events is observed compared to the background expectation. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level on the vector-like lepton production cross section as a function of the VLL mass and the pseudoscalar boson mean proper decay length. The observed and expected exclusion ranges of the VLL mass extend up to 700 and 670 GeV, respectively, depending on the pseudoscalar boson lifetime.
Distributions of the number of hits in the cluster (Nhits) for the DT category in the signal region (SR). The last histogram bin contains all overflow events.
The cluster reconstruction efficiency, including both DT and CSC clusters, as a function of the simulated r and |z| decay positions of the pseudoscalar into photons in events with MET > 200 GeV, for a VLL mass of 700 GeV and a pseudoscalar mass of 2 GeV, and a range of ctau values uniformly distributed between 0.01 and 0.1 m.
Distributions of the number of hits in the cluster (Nhits) for the CSC category in the signal region (SR). The last histogram bin contains all overflow events.
An inclusive search for long-lived exotic particles decaying to a pair of muons is presented. The search uses data collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV in 2016 and 2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 97.6 fb$^{-1}$. The experimental signature is a pair of oppositely charged muons originating from a common secondary vertex spatially separated from the pp interaction point by distances ranging from several hundred $\mu$m to several meters. The results are interpreted in the frameworks of the hidden Abelian Higgs model, in which the Higgs boson decays to a pair of long-lived dark photons Z$_\mathrm{D}$, and of a simplified model, in which long-lived particles are produced in decays of an exotic heavy neutral scalar boson. For the hidden Abelian Higgs model with $m_\mathrm{Z_D}$ greater than 20 GeV and less than half the mass of the Higgs boson, they provide the best limits to date on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson to dark photons for $c\tau$(Z$_\mathrm{D}$) (varying with $m_\mathrm{Z_D}$) between 0.03 and ${\approx}$ 0.5 mm, and above ${\approx}$ 0.5 m. Our results also yield the best constraints on long-lived particles with masses larger than 10 GeV produced in decays of an exotic scalar boson heavier than the Higgs boson and decaying to a pair of muons.
Level-1 muon trigger efficiency in cosmic-ray muon data (blue) and signal simulation (red) as a function of $d_0$, for the Level-1 trigger $p_T$ threshold used in the 2016 analysis triggers. The denominator in the efficiency calculation is the number of STA muons with $|\eta| < 1.2$ and $p_T > 33$ GeV.
Level-1 muon trigger efficiency in cosmic-ray muon data (blue) and signal simulation (red) as a function of $d_0$, for the Level-1 trigger $p_T$ threshold used in the 2016 analysis triggers. The denominator in the efficiency calculation is the number of STA muons with $|\eta| < 1.2$ and $p_T > 33$ GeV.
Level-1 muon trigger efficiency in cosmic-ray muon data (blue) and signal simulation (red) as a function of $d_0$, for the Level-1 trigger $p_T$ threshold used in the 2018 analysis triggers. The denominator in the efficiency calculation is the number of STA muons with $|\eta| < 1.2$ and $p_T > 28$ GeV.
The result of a search for the pair production of the lightest supersymmetric partner of the bottom quark ($\tilde{b}_{1}$) using 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton data collected at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV by the ATLAS detector is reported. In the supersymmetric scenarios considered both of the bottom-squarks decay into a $b$-quark and the second-lightest neutralino, $\tilde{b}_{1} \rightarrow b + \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$. Each $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$ is assumed to subsequently decay with 100% branching ratio into a Higgs boson ($h$) like the one in the Standard Model and the lightest neutralino: $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2} \rightarrow h + \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$. The $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ is assumed to be the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and is stable. Two signal mass configurations are targeted: the first has a constant LSP mass of 60 GeV; and the second has a constant mass difference between the $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$ and $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$ of 130 GeV. The final states considered contain no charged leptons, three or more $b$-jets, and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess of events over the Standard Model background expectation is observed in any of the signal regions considered. Limits at the 95% confidence level are placed in the supersymmetric models considered, and bottom-squarks with mass up to 1.5 TeV are excluded.
Distributions of ${E}_{\mathrm{T}}^{\mathrm{miss}}$ after the background-only fit. The backgrounds which contribute only a small amount (diboson, W+jets and ttbar+W/Z/h) are grouped and labelled as `Other'.
Distributions of $m_{\mathrm{eff}}$ after the background-only fit. The backgrounds which contribute only a small amount (diboson, W+jets and ttbar+W/Z/h) are grouped and labelled as `Other'.
Distributions of Object-based $E_{\mathrm{T}}^{\mathrm{miss}} {Sig.}$ after the background-only fit. The backgrounds which contribute only a small amount (diboson, W+jets and ttbar+W/Z/h) are grouped and labelled as `Other'.
This Letter presents a search for the production of a long-lived neutral particle ($Z_d$) decaying within the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter, in association with a Standard Model (SM) $Z$ boson produced via an intermediate scalar boson, where $Z\to l^+l^-$ ($l=e,\mu$). The data used were collected by the ATLAS detector during 2015 and 2016 $pp$ collisions with a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $36.1\pm0.8$ fb$^{-1}$. No significant excess of events is observed above the expected background. Limits on the production cross section of the scalar boson times its decay branching fraction into the long-lived neutral particle are derived as a function of the mass of the intermediate scalar boson, the mass of the long-lived neutral particle, and its $c\tau$ from a few centimeters to one hundred meters. In the case that the intermediate scalar boson is the SM Higgs boson, its decay branching fraction to a long-lived neutral particle with a $c\tau$ approximately between 0.1 m and 7 m is excluded with a 95% confidence level up to 10% for $m_{Z_d}$ between 5 and 15 GeV.
The product of acceptance and efficiency for all signal MC samples.
A search for massive coloured resonances which are pair-produced and decay into two jets is presented. The analysis uses 36.7 fb$^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV pp collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016. No significant deviation from the background prediction is observed. Results are interpreted in a SUSY simplified model where the lightest supersymmetric particle is the top squark, $\tilde{t}$, which decays promptly into two quarks through $R$-parity-violating couplings. Top squarks with masses in the range 100 GeV < $m_{\tilde{t}}$ < 410 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. If the decay is into a $b$-quark and a light quark, a dedicated selection requiring two $b$-tags is used to exclude masses in the ranges 100 GeV < $m_{\tilde{t}}$ < 470 GeV and 480 GeV < $m_{\tilde{t}}$ < 610 GeV. Additional limits are set on the pair-production of massive colour-octet resonances.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - <p><b>Cutflows:</b><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=CutflowTable1">Stop 100GeV</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=CutflowTable2">Stop 500GeV</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=CutflowTable3">Coloron 1500GeV</a><br> </p> <p><b>Event Yields:</b><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=SRdistribution1">Inclusive stop SR</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=SRdistribution2">Inclusive coloron SR </a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=SRdistribution3">b-tagged stop SR</a><br> </p> <p><b>Acceptances and Efficiencies:</b><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Acceptance1">Inclusive stop SR, before mass window</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Acceptance2">Inclusive stop SR, after mass window</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Acceptance3">Inclusive coloron SR, before mass window</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Acceptance4">Inclusive coloron SR, after mass window</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Acceptance5">b-tagged stop SR, before mass window</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Acceptance6">b-tagged stop SR, after mass window</a><br> </p> <p><b>Cross section upper limits:</b><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Limitoncrosssection1">Inclusive stop SR</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Limitoncrosssection2">Inclusive coloron SR</a><br> <a href="79059?version=1&table=Limitoncrosssection3">b-tagged stop SR</a><br> </p> <p><b>Truth Code</b> and <b>SLHA Files</b> for the cutflows are available under "Resources" (purple button on the left) </p>
Cutflow table for a pair produced top squark of 100 GeV decaying into a b- and an s-quark.
Cutflow table for a pair produced top squark of 500 GeV decaying into a b- and an s-quark.
A search is presented for the direct pair production of the stop, the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, that decays through an $R$-parity-violating coupling to a final state with two leptons and two jets, at least one of which is identified as a $b$-jet. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV, collected in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. No significant excess is observed over the Standard Model background, and exclusion limits are set on stop pair production at a 95% confidence level. Lower limits on the stop mass are set between 600 GeV and 1.5 TeV for branching ratios above 10% for decays to an electron or muon and a $b$-quark.
Expected exclusion limit contour in the (BRe,BRtau) plane for a 600 GeV stop. All limits are computed at 95% CL.
Observed exclusion limit contour in the (BRe,BRtau) plane for a 600 GeV stop. All limits are computed at 95% CL.
Expected exclusion limit contour in the (BRe,BRtau) plane for a 700 GeV stop. All limits are computed at 95% CL.
Narrow resonances decaying into $WW$, $WZ$ or $ZZ$ boson pairs are searched for in 36.7 fb $^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The diboson system is reconstructed using pairs of large-radius jets with high transverse momentum and tagged as compatible with the hadronic decay of high-momentum $W$ or $Z$ bosons, using jet mass and substructure properties. The search is sensitive to diboson resonances with masses in the range 1.2-5.0 TeV. No significant excess is observed in any signal region. Exclusion limits are set at the 95% confidence level on the production cross section times branching ratio to dibosons for a range of theories beyond the Standard Model. Model-dependent lower limits on the mass of new gauge bosons are set, with the highest limit set at 3.5 TeV in the context of mass-degenerate resonances that couple predominantly to bosons.
Signal acceptance times efficiency as a function of mass for Scalar → WW in the heavy scalar model
Signal acceptance times efficiency as a function of mass for Z' → WW in the HVT model
Signal acceptance times efficiency as a function of mass for GKK → WW in the bulk RS model
A search is presented for particles that decay producing a large jet multiplicity and invisible particles. The event selection applies a veto on the presence of isolated electrons or muons and additional requirements on the number of b-tagged jets and the scalar sum of masses of large-radius jets. Having explored the full ATLAS 2015-2016 dataset of LHC proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13~\mathrm{TeV}$, which corresponds to 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity, no evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models inspired by R-parity-conserving and R-parity-violating supersymmetry, where gluinos are pair-produced. More generic models within the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric Standard Model are also considered.
Post-fit yields for each signal region in the multijets analysis. Summary of all 27 signal regions (post-fit).
Observed 95% CL limit for the pMSSM grid.
Observed 95% CL limit for the pMSSM grid when the signal cross section is increased by one standard deviation.